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Tomorrow, June 6, is our national day. It’s relatively new, just a few years old and we had to give up Whit Monday to have it. A bit of a loss all round as the latter, always falling on a Monday, meant a holiday every year. The new holiday falls even on Saturdays and Sundays but there is no day in lieu. However, this year there is a cloud on the horizon.

This week, our national day got a twin – “the big fight against lupins day”. Yes, you read that correctly!

These beautiful flowers, originally from North America, are considered as invasive weeds which “don’t really belong here” and threaten to “take over the natural habitat of our native wild flowers thus destroying the habitat of our native insects” (Sound familiar?) War has been declared against lupins! Field biologists are hoping that the nation will be inspired to go out and get rid of lupins. They’ve even managed to get EU funding to do it. This is taking immigration policies to their limit.

People don't believe me when I tell them that we buy seeds and plants to have them in our english gardens.

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Thanks Eggy, I'll be showing that to a few people! I'm in Devon in September, so I might even try and find the Westcountry Nurseries and buy seeds.

Mercury, we put just about every kind of perennial in the garden here. Living in the forest on an old farm, I and many others like me, opt for the old-fashioned type of garden with plants that are decorative, but some are even useful - much as the garden may have been years ago. I have:

Honeysuckle, Forget-me-nots, Marguerites, Lady's Mantle, Peonies, Delphiniums, Iris and decorative Sages. Lilac and Jasmine are a must for everybody! Then I have Clematis, Hostas (Plantain Lilies?), a whole range of Alumroot, Marigolds (make a lovely tea), Soapwort (it really does work in the washing machine), Bleeding Heart and a full range of Aquilegias. And, of course, I have Lupins - painstakingly dug upp along the roadside and planted into my 'woodland area' where everything is allowed to grow wild. Another flower that is considered invasive here is Yellow Loosestrife. I think It's also called Alexander. I love it. It also grows wild on the sites of former small holdings and spreads like wildfire, though nobody complains about this - came from central Europe originally.

Honeysuckle, Forget-me-nots, Marguerites, Lady's Mantle, Peonies, Delphiniums, Iris and decorative Sages. Lilac and Jasmine are a must for everybody! Then I have Clematis, Hostas (Plantain Lilies?), a whole range of Alumroot, Marigolds (make a lovely tea), Soapwort (it really does work in the washing machine), Bleeding Heart and a full range of Aquilegias. And, of course, I have Lupins - painstakingly dug upp along the roadside and planted into my 'woodland area' where everything is allowed to grow wild. Another flower that is considered invasive here is Yellow Loosestrife. I think It's also called Alexander. I love it. It also grows wild on the sites of former small holdings and spreads like wildfire, though nobody complains about this - came from central Europe originally.

Champion - Dotted Loosestrife; Hostas & Hebes I used to have but my passion was fuchsias ,1 cactus and trying to grow rounded tomatoes :-

I've got about 3 000 square metres to look after, so there's a lot of grass with flower beds dotted about the place. I'm also a 'pot' kind of person and Fuschias and Geraniums do quite well here. I've some that are getting on for 13 years now and I've lost count of how many cuttings I've had over the years.

Strange you should mention tomatoes. I was given a plant a few weeks ago. It's standing outside in a 10 litre pot against a south facing wall. Very warm but it has it's very own parasol. I've nipped out the side shoots and it has 2 lovely groups of flowers. When it got up to the 3rd set of flowers the very top leaves have curled up into a tight ball, not dead just curled up. Any idea what's happened?

Strange you should mention tomatoes. I was given a plant a few weeks ago. It's standing outside in a 10 litre pot against a south facing wall. Very warm but it has it's very own parasol. I've nipped out the side shoots and it has 2 lovely groups of flowers. When it got up to the 3rd set of flowers the very top leaves have curled up into a tight ball, not dead just curled up. Any idea what's happened?

Unfortunately like many questions on plants there are probably 4 main answers :

I have only grown tomatoes in a greenhouse and the first year they had all sorts of symptoms: - leaves die back - leaves twist and curl = 'leaf roll' and the dreaded black spot. I assumed my weird shaped tomatoes were a result of all 4, it was difficult when I worked day shift. When I asked a life long tomato growers the reply was always keep the compost/soil damp; spray the leaves every day and nip out the side shoots unless you live in the greenhouse and tend to them every hour!

Subsequent years my plants were healthier but it was down to understanding all the conditions - there was no simple answer. I stopped using growbags and each plant had it's own pot and the pots would be lifted out of the greenhouse during the day.

My final year brought the decision never again. Too much hard work to look after 3 to 6 plants in an 8' x 6' green house for a small return. If you got a good crop where the majority ripened at the same time you had too many and had to give most away.

Add to that I have never liked tomatoes, I only grew them for the wife.

When I first experience 'black-spot' I was told - could be too much water and there again it could be too little!

So the real answer is experience tells you how to keep the balance of water & heat just right.

I had similar problems with peppers and cucumbers so I switched to plants as they recovered from neglect or over enthusiastic tendering.

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I googled 'Leaf curl' and it's definitely that. Plant is now moved to a shadier spot.

While we are on the subject of things that grow wildly all over the place, does anybody know what this is? It grows just about everywhere in the Cotswolds, both in gardens and on the roadside. I don't know if it's a weed or a cultivated flower. I brought a little root home with me but it didn't survive the journey. I asked a few locals what it was called but only one gave me any sort of answer. When he was a child he used to call it 'Grandmother's needlework'. I can't find that anywhere. I'd love to have it in my garden.

While we are on the subject of things that grow wildly all over the place, does anybody know what this is? It grows just about everywhere in the Cotswolds, both in gardens and on the roadside. I don't know if it's a weed or a cultivated flower. I brought a little root home with me but it didn't survive the journey. I asked a few locals what it was called but only one gave me any sort of answer. When he was a child he used to call it 'Grandmother's needlework'. I can't find that anywhere. I'd love to have it in my garden.

I can't remember it's name but I know our son can and I will ask him this weekend.

What I do know about it is that when you have it it's extremely difficult to get rid of! We have it, as do all the neighbours !

The roots are like small white carrots and they get a very good hold in the ground. Plant a couple - allow the flower heads to seed and like dandelion seeds they will spread and grow everywhere and anywhere.

I can't remember it's name but I know our son can and I will ask him this weekend.

What I do know about it is that when you have it it's extremely difficult to get rid of! We have it, as do all the neighbours !

The roots are like small white carrots and they get a very good hold in the ground. Plant a couple - allow the flower heads to seed and like dandelion seeds they will spread and grow everywhere and anywhere.

That would be great! Don't know if I can get it here but some garden centre might be able to get it for me, or I might be able to get seeds in England'

I don't mind it spreading. There are areas of my garden that could do with something like that and I only have squirrels, deer and elk for neighbours.

I trust his better judgement! My friend was unsure and is only a youngster still learning! Mind, she grows the roses, so she’s doing ok!

OK? with roses like that she's doing a bit more than OK. They are gorgeous. I've never had any luck with roses here other than 'Vresros' (don't know what that's called back home but the botanical name is rosa rugosa). I just let them take over on the slope beneath the balcony and the scent is heavenly of an evening! Almost takes over from the scent of the pink gin.

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She’s a young lady who has had a troubled time and was ‘rescued’ by my sister. Now part of the Tumby family! Her passion is growing plants, and she’s turned a little hidden walled garden that was an overgrown junkyard into a tranquil place of great beauty. It’s been as much a pleasure to watch her plants come to be as to watch her get from a very dark place to be able to be herself again, and to help her do it. Needless to say I’m very fond of her, and her roses!

She’s a young lady who has had a troubled time and was ‘rescued’ by my sister. Now part of the Tumby family! Her passion is growing plants, and she’s turned a little hidden walled garden that was an overgrown junkyard into a tranquil place of great beauty. It’s been as much a pleasure to watch her plants come to be as to watch her get from a very dark place to be able to be herself again, and to help her do it. Needless to say I’m very fond of her, and her roses!

I know exactly what you mean. Some years ago I was a volunteer on a project called 'Växthuset'. That word is made up of three components: växt - hus -et. That word translated to English means 'The greenhouse' and we did have a greenhouse at our disposal. Translated literally it can mean 'the plant house' or 'the growth house' as the component 'växt' has two meanings.

It was a great name for what was happening there - plants and people were growing - people like Emma. who'd been in very dark places. It was wonderful to watch them emerging into the light and more than a few actually 'blossomed'. There's something about gardening that's healing.

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What a wonderful word! I shall tell her that, she’ll appreciate it. I’m her designated Head Gardener here at the moment as she’s away for six weeks on an internship at Woburn Abbey. Difficult to hide how proud I am of how far she’s come, and the gardens have played a massive part.